From the moment the gorgeous cover caught my eye, I was hooked—this book’s aesthetic is absolutely swoon-worthy. At its heart, The Sinuous Bargain of a Cowardly Prince is a sweet yet high-stakes romantasy that brings together an unlikely pair destined to change each other—and their world—forever.

Prince Ramiel Faundor lives in his brother’s shadow, a bastard pushed to fight a coronation duel he has neither training nor support to win. Ether Malaphon, an elven warrior with deep-seated hatred for humans—and especially fairies—finds herself sold into bondage and on the brink of sacrifice. Their fates collide when desperation meets opportunity: Ramiel bargains for Ether’s help, offering her rescue in exchange for training him in the art of war. From that moment, a fragile, charged connection blooms between two broken souls navigating curses, court intrigue, and a kingdom built on betrayal.

What truly elevates this story is the dynamics between its protagonists. Ramiel is refreshingly sensitive, anxious, and far from your typical dashing hero—an “anti‑chosen one” who must grow into his role under pressure. Ether is deadly, guarded, and complex, a sharp contrast whose strength only deepens the tension and respect between them. Their growing bond—woven through shared vulnerability and mutual need—devices a romance that feels both tender and earned.

The worldbuilding is equally impressive. Kayliani Shi introduces a realm brimming with dark curses, ancient secrets, and shifting alliances. Political intrigue simmers beneath the surface, and the lore unfolds in chapters that balance momentum with emotional clarity. Several early readers praised its richly layered plot and immersive setting.

At times, pacing issues emerge—especially in the middle stretch, where momentum dips slightly, and some moments feel rushed or underdeveloped. Yet the compelling character arcs and surprising twists in the finale made those minor stumbles feel forgivable. Many NetGalley readers noted that despite these occasional lags, the ending felt unexpected and maintained forward excitement for the sequel.

Overall, The Sinuous Bargain of a Cowardly Prince delivers a beautifully nuanced romance, a world alive with enchantment and danger, and characters whose growth is as engaging as their battles. I'm excited for what's next in the Shadowed Throne Chronicles—and happy to award this one a well-deserved four stars.

Reluctant Hero – Prince Ramiel is not your typical brave warrior; he’s anxious, self-doubting, and thrust into a fight he never wanted.

Political Intrigue – The royal court is full of manipulation, hidden motives, and schemes brewing beneath the surface.

Dark Bargain – Ramiel makes a desperate deal to survive, one that changes the course of his fate and Ether’s.

Curses and Ancient Magic – The world is steeped in dangerous magic, old spells, and haunting legacies.

Training Montage – A classic mentorship/training dynamic as Ether teaches Ramiel how to fight.

Forced Proximity – Ramiel and Ether are bound together by necessity, leading to growing emotional intimacy.

Enemies to Allies (to Lovers) – Ether begins with a deep resentment toward Ramiel and his kind, but their relationship slowly softens and deepens.

Grumpy x Anxious (Soft) Pairing – Ether is the hardened, stoic warrior; Ramiel is the nervous, emotionally open prince.

Slow Burn Romance – Their connection builds gradually, with tension, trust, and emotional vulnerability developing over time.

Bargain-Based Bond – Their entire relationship begins because of a deal, giving it high emotional and narrative stakes from the start.

Bastard Prince / Outsider Royal – Ramiel isn’t the heir, and his status as a royal outcast plays a huge role in the plot and his inner conflict.

Warrior Mentor – Ether steps into the teacher role, guiding Ramiel in combat and pushing him beyond what he believes he’s capable of.

Trauma Bonding – Both leads are broken by their pasts, and their shared pain becomes the foundation for understanding each other.

** ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️**

Thank you netgalley and candescent ink press for the arc.

I felt this was a really promising story, that had a almost a reverse trope feeling. With Ramiel being a weak, untrained Prince and Ether being a strong well trained Elf warrior.
The beginning and end of the story really had me interested. However, the pacing in the middle was not the best. The story really had great bones but the execution just lost me at times.
The ending really was kind of unexpected for me and has me interested to read what I assume will be a sequel.
Overall, I'd say it really has such a great plot/ideas but just needed some cleaning up to really make it as great as it could have been.

Unfortunately I could not read this and no review was possible because the book was not offered in a format I could easily read. I would have had to either download the NetGalley app, or download a secondary desktop program like Thorium Reader to access the DRM-protected .lpcl file.

⭐ 4 /5

👑 Political and High Stakes
💔 Royal family drama
🌌 (Rejected) Fated mates
🔥 Enemies-ish to lovers
⚔️ Teacher x student
🖤 She's the badass, he's the cinnamon roll

Okay, this book started out so strong. The first half had me absolutely hooked — the trials, the tension, the political intrigue, all those “zero to hero” vibes I love. Ramiel’s journey had so much promise, I was hooked and flying through pages thinking “yesss this is it.”

But then somewhere after that point, the pacing went sideways. Things started to feel downplayed when they should’ve hit harder, and the heat hit out of nowhere. Like… huh? 👀 I know it’s going the fated mates route, but I wanted more build-up before the reveal — that delicious tension, the angst, the push and pull. Instead it felt rushed, and it took me out of the story a little.

Still, I can’t deny the book has a solid plot underneath, entertaining even. The trials and betrayals kept me turning pages, even if the execution sometimes felt messy. Even with filler moments that dragged, there’s still plenty of action, drama, and a romance thread that keeps pulling you along. And that ending? Of course it had to leave me hanging right when things were getting juicy. Definitely a setup for more books.

Overall, it’s not perfect — a little messy in execution — but I still had fun with it. It gave me enough drama and promise that I’ll probably peek into book two just to see where this chaos goes 👍🏻

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️A scrawny prince, a lethal elf, a fairy frenemy — and a dragon waiting at the end.

We open with Prince Ramiel’s POV. Because of a prophecy, he was never trained in swordplay or strategy — instead he’s been confined to arts, sciences, and tea parties. Lanky, prudish, and without a scrap of endurance, he would rather read than rule. But when his warrior brother, the heir, dies unexpectedly, Ramiel’s father announces that he must slay the dragon to claim his inheritance. The cruel catch: he is still forbidden to learn either magic or martial arts.

Ramiel sets off in desperation with Ronan, his late brother’s friend, in search of a teacher. Enter Ether, a wood elf summoned by the king for ominous reasons, and soon to be suspiciously entangled in palace intrigue. She soon discovers that Ronan is actually a fairy — her sworn enemy, given the ancient betrayal between elves and fairies that cemented human supremacy.

They smuggle Ether into the castle, but before any training can begin she needs to recharge her magic reserves. Cue another errand: Ramiel must catch a magical fish. Against all odds, the encounter awakens his own magic — something his companions declare impossible. While they are returning with their decidedly pungent catch, Ether is busy uncovering secret passages and the prophecy itself. To complicate matters, she is ordered by the king to sabotage Ramiel’s training or watch all elves slaughtered.

Back at the training ground, Ramiel and Ether collide in more ways than one — a mating mark appears on their arms, forcing them into a bond neither expected. Ether, still undecided whether to betray him, lures a dangerous creature to the training grounds. Too late, she regrets it, saving Ramiel from death but not from disaster: he is gravely wounded. The court mages’ questionable “healing” costs him his eyesight, making his dragon-slaying destiny all the more grim.

Ronan, Ether, and Ramiel flee to an ancient ruin in the magical forest to begin real magical training. There, Ramiel slowly connects with Ether, while Ether faces the slaughter of her village and the testimony of a centuries-old elven ghost who challenges everything she and Ronan believed about their history. Even Ramiel’s heritage proves less straightforward than it seemed. Training advances — until the king abruptly calls them back, moving up the crown prince’s formal presentation aka dragon fight.

Ramiel, barely prepared and on the brink of death, accepts help from a ghostly voice that reveals itself as his dead brother, a powerful mage. The catch? His brother plans to inhabit Ramiel’s body. Ramiel regains his sight, the king is killed, he just struggles against his brother’s control long enough to ensure that Ether and Ronan can escape, before collapsing.

The story ends here, and yes — I’ll certainly pick up the sequel. I want to see how Ramiel grows from reluctant scholar to something more, and whether his allies can rescue him from his brother’s grasp.

This is very much fantasy with a romantic subplot rather than romantasy. And it’s refreshing that the “damsel in distress” is actually the MMC, while the FMC is the fighter — a neat reversal that worked well for me.

Since Ramiel doesn’t come with a scent, we’ll take Ronan’s instead: dried daisies, the spice of rain, and salt. Not bad company to keep.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest opinion.